Tin Foil Hat needed.

[tkamiya]

With all the conspiracy theories abound, I need to get a tin-foil hat.  I have a few questions about it. 

1)  Is aluminum foil a good substitute to tin foil?  My local store does not seem to have tin foils.
2)  Is Chinese made hat on eBay just as good as American made ones?  (please - it's a joke.  Apologies to Chinese members)
3)  Is there a front or back on tin foil hat?  What happens if you wear them backwards?
4)  Does it protect me from the evil 5G?
5)  Are there HP brand hats?
6)  How many DB do these hats reduce?
7)  Does tip of the cone pose any hazards in lightening storms?
  What exact angle does the tip has to be to be most effective?
9)  What testing method does it take to validate manufacturer's claims?
10)  Do I have to replace all tantalum capacitors before wearing one?

Any other expert advises are welcome!

[GlennSprigg]

You can't go wrong! with the old kitchen 'Calendar' used for draining stuff!!!...

Of course one needs to 'invert' it, before assembling it on one's head... 
The BEAUTY is that the holes do not diminish it's effectiveness, due to the "Faraday Cage" effect!!   

[Circlotron]

Just remember that any mind control signals originating from the antipode of where you are standing will effectively enter the hat from the underside. The dished shape of the hat will therefore focus the waves onto the centre of your brain and make things worse, not better.

[Gregg]

With all the conspiracy theories abound, I need to get a tin-foil hat.  I have a few questions about it. 

1)  Is aluminum foil a good substitute to tin foil?  My local store does not seem to have tin foils.
2)  Is Chinese made hat on eBay just as good as American made ones?  (please - it's a joke.  Apologies to Chinese members)
3)  Is there a front or back on tin foil hat?  What happens if you wear them backwards?
4)  Does it protect me from the evil 5G?
5)  Are there HP brand hats?
6)  How many DB do these hats reduce?
7)  Does tip of the cone pose any hazards in lightening storms?
  What exact angle does the tip has to be to be most effective?
9)  What testing method does it take to validate manufacturer's claims?
10)  Do I have to replace all tantalum capacitors before wearing one?

Any other expert advises are welcome!

Your query is certainly timely considering the worldwide turmoil and dodgy politics.  Here are a few considerations for your questions which may or may not be relevant:
1.  “Tin Foil” is a generic term only relevant to really old fogies from when aluminum was harder to process than tin. Terms like tin foil and tin cans are just a holdover from the good old days. However aluminum does form an oxide layer that is a good insulator, you might want to consider alternatives.  Tin doesn’t oxidize as much and is often used to coat copper wire and bus bars to keep the copper from oxidizing; maybe tin plated copper foil is even better than pure tin foil.  Silver is an even better conductor than copper but it also oxidizes but the jewelry industry found that plating silver with rhodium kept things shiny and bright…plus the audiophool forums seem to link magical properties to rhodium; maybe they are on to something.   Gold doesn’t tarnish and can be made into very thin foil plus the bling factor would make you the coolest foil hat wearer around.
2.  If you want only the best, you either have to make it yourself or have it custom tailored for a perfect fit (there might be a business opportunity here, somewhere) but the finest foil hats re probably made in Japan.  The usual caveats apply to all items sold on AliExpress, FleaBay and even Amazon; i.e. watch out for fakes. 
3.  Front or back?  Maybe you could find one like the Sherlock Holmes iconic hat with bills both front and back…just to be sure.
4.  Evil 5G is still relatively new and much more research needs to be done but to be absolutely sure you are protected might take a complete foil suit with proper ground connection at all times.  A proper ground connection is subject to many debates, so carrying around a bag of dirt may not work too well.
5.  I somehow doubt that HP makes foil hats anymore, but if you have a vintage one it probably would bring high dollar in these times.  More likely Facebook, Google or Twitter branded ones would be readily available; if not readily available a lot of misinformation could be obtained.
6.  Attenuation is totally dependent on the fit, material and grounding connection; YMMV.
7.  A proper lightning rod tip that is properly grounded on top of your foil hat would possibly bleed off static build up and prevent a lightning strike.
8.  The tip should be tall and on the very top; hold your head high and be proud of your ability to prevent harmful brain altering waves and rays from controlling you. 
9.  Testing is a moot point as there are so many fake instruments available that are total BS; if you have done you research, you’ll just know when you have done as much as possible.
10.  Tantalum capacitors are so yesterday, everybody knows that supercaps are what you really want.

[TimFox]

When I needed actual tin foil about 20 years ago, I think I found some at McMaster Carr, the source for everything worthwhile.
Unfortunately, they no longer carry it, and their search function sends one to the aluminum foil page.
The thinnest tin that they now stock is 1/32" = 0.8 mm:  https://www.mcmaster.com/tin
Chemical-grade tin foil is very expensive.  Aldrich lists 150 mm by 150 mm sheets of 0.127 mm = 0.005" for $216 in singles.
  https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/gf26583194?lang=en&region=US&cm_sp=Insite-_-caContent_prodMerch_cooccuranceModel-_-prodMerch10-3
I believe that the hemispherical shape is preferable to the dunce-cap pointed shape, making a smoother equipotential surface, and have seen no politically-correct research to contradict my belief.

[jmelson]

When I needed actual tin foil about 20 years ago, I think I found some at McMaster Carr, the source for everything worthwhile.
Unfortunately, they no longer carry it, and their search function sends one to the aluminum foil page.

Hmmm, you could actually make your own tin foil.  You need a leveled surface plate and a stove.  Get the cheapest, expired SN100 solder on eBay (or possibly at a hardware store).  level the surface plate, and place blocks of something to constrain the tin, and weight the blocks to prevent them from moving.  Then, melt the tin on the stove in a little pot, and pour onto the surface plate.  Best for this purpose to make a triangular area on the plate.  When the tin cools, peel off and roll the triangel into a cone.  Solder the edge with tin-lead solder (which melts at a lower temperature than pure tin.)

Presto -- solid tin hat.  it may be tricky to get the tin very thin this way.  But, this is how they make organ pipes (and fudge).

Jon

[TimFox]

It may be easier to roll the McMaster-Carr 1/32" stock to a smaller thickness. 

[tkamiya]

Thanks everybody!  I feel safe already!!   

[Nominal Animal]

Hmmm, you could actually make your own tin foil.  You need a leveled surface plate and a stove.

I made my own tin helmet by wrapping SN100 solder around my head, then pounding it flat against my skull with a hammer.  I did get too enthusiastic a couple of times and knocked myself out cold, so that's something one might wish to watch out for.  Or get a "friend" to do the hammering for you. 

[BrianHG]

4.  Evil 5G is still relatively new and much more research needs to be done but to be absolutely sure you are protected might take a complete foil suit with proper ground connection at all times.  A proper ground connection is subject to many debates, so carrying around a bag of dirt may not work too well.

[Gyro]

All of these tin hat solutions seem to underestimate the extent of the brain inside the skull, optic and auditory nerves etc. 

What you need is some form of RF conductive gimp mask. Maybe very fine knitted silver plated copper mesh would have sufficient elasticity. It would also allow some limited vision and ability to breath (not sure if that's a requirement of normal gimp masks, I'm very naive!). Food would be out - but maybe water trickled in (or very thin soup if it has a low Sulphur content?).

The neck hole is an obvious weak point from the RF perspective but there's very little that can be done about that - that's socially acceptable anyway. 

[TimFox]

Back in the day, beer cans were made from solderable tin-plated steel.  Half of the fun in fabricating useful objects from them (including the notorious 1/4-wave dipole for the 160m ham band) was preparing the raw material by draining the contents.  The space aliens and new-world-order conspirators ruined this by forcing us to switch to aluminum.

[Gregg]

Corona virus can’t penetrate tin foil - - - double protection. 

That and wearing a tin foil hat might go a long way to ensure ‘social distancing’ (maybe it is ‘anti-social distancing’) 

[BradC]

You can't go wrong! with the old kitchen 'Calendar' used for draining stuff!!!...

Of course one needs to 'invert' it, before assembling it on one's head... 
The BEAUTY is that the holes do not diminish it's effectiveness, due to the "Faraday Cage" effect!!   

It's a "Colander" and the size of the holes determines the maximum frequency it's effective for. Smaller wavelengths require smaller holes to properly attenuate. So it's only effective as a high pass filter. In theory a tinfoil hat is properly effective.

Oh, and beware the FSM if you choose to wear a Colander.

[TimFox]

Centuries ago, gentlemen understood the need for chain mail, anticipating electromagnetic radiation.

[MK14]

Hmmm, you could actually make your own tin foil.  You need a leveled surface plate and a stove.

I made my own tin helmet by wrapping SN100 solder around my head, then pounding it flat against my skull with a hammer.  I did get too enthusiastic a couple of times and knocked myself out cold, so that's something one might wish to watch out for.  Or get a "friend" to do the hammering for you. 

That reminds me of this:
(Youtuber, cements his head inside a microwave oven to get youtube hits, but creates an emergency):

[tkamiya]

Does anyone know where this "tin foil hat" thing started?  Does this have anything to do with atomic bombs or any other specific event? 

Additional question.  Does a foil hat need to be grounded, and would it need to be an RF ground or safety ground? 

[Harfner]

Does anyone know where this "tin foil hat" thing started?  Does this have anything to do with atomic bombs or any other specific event?

It goes back to this story: http://www.revolutionsf.com/fiction/tissue/

Inside that story a tin foil hat actually DOES protect against a form of mind control.

[Nominal Animal]

In the eighties (as a kid), I knew of a small village grocery store owner, who was horrified of microwave ovens, due to "their nucular radiation".

("atomisätteily" for Finnish aficionados.)

[richnormand]

I believe that the hemispherical shape is preferable to the dunce-cap pointed shape, making a smoother equipotential surface, and have seen no politically-correct research to contradict my belief.

Well... this has been tested a while back:
http://web.archive.org/web/20100708230258/http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/

It will actually increase the EM field in some frequency range. Of course your wet brain will provide some absorption and damping factor.

[duckduck]

... hold your head high and be proud of your ability to prevent harmful brain altering waves and rays from controlling you. 

 

[SparkyFX]

Be advised that prolonged application of a tin foil hat might cause overheating of the brain, which leads to expression of gibberish theories and unsubstantiated claims.

[Circlotron]

Be advised that prolonged application of a tin foil hat might cause overheating of the brain, which leads to expression of gibberish theories and unsubstantiated claims.

Which leads to a parallel question - which came first, the chicken or the egg?

[helius]

Terms like tin foil and tin cans are just a holdover from the good old days.

I feel really dirty posting a correction to a thread like this, but tin plated steel cans are still commonly used.
http://www.ussteel.com/products-solutions/products/tin

If you have canned goods in your pantry that require a can opener they are most likely made of tin plated steel.

The more concerning thing about clothing made from tin is its tendency to crumble in cold weather, as the crystalline structure of the tin shifts at lower temperatures. This is called tin pest and must have been tragic for the scarecrow and the lion to watch.

[SparkyFX]

Which leads to a parallel question - which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Probably a self-fullfilling prophecy

But given that the basics of shielding need to be learned (or at least believed), why do people then cease to learn (or believe) how waves propagate, what a wavelength is, estimate the order of magnitude energy will have to be, to set it in proportions and such. And then there is this question why a whole network would even care about external conditions. That's a hen and egg problem.